More Than a Song - Discovering the Truth of Scripture Hidden in Today's Popular Christian Music

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What happens when our preference doesn't line up with God's preference? How can we even know God's desires? I've asked these questions since I was introduced to Rachel Morley's song "Preference."

Join me as we explore a time when God's servants did something they 100% thought was right but did not line up with God's preference.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Read and keep on reading
  • Ask questions
  • Follow the cross-references
  • Meditate on God's Word
  • Read in different translations
  • Refer to an overview of the book you're studying
  • Remember the people were REAL
  • Repetition
  • Consult an outside resource
• Episode Guide Download
• How God challenged me with my own thoughts
• An overview of Chronicles - The Bible Project on YouTube
• Reading the genealogies and making notes along the way
• Meditating on the details of 1 Chronicles 13
• Learning more about the Ark of God
  • Exodus 25
  • Numbers 4
  • Leviticus 16
• Pondering the unique details of the narrative
• Discovering the previously abandoned plan to move the ark fulfilled in 1 Chronicles 15
• Considering how David and the people should have known how to fulfill God's preference
• Finding time to build a life of knowing God and His ways

We won’t get a pass, because we SHOULD have known His preferences — God provided a way for us to know and we leave it sitting on our shelves or unopened on our phones.

• Lyrics to "Preference" by Rachel Morley -

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Do you have a favorite singer? Can you recognize their voice even if you're not familiar with the song? I have a friend who is a photographer. I can spot her work right away on social media. Her photos have something about them that acts as a type of signature on her work. When we examine the works of Jesus and get to know them really well, it will be easier to spot Him in places like the Old Testament Scriptures or even daily life. We The Kingdom's song "Jesus Does" inspired me to study the works of Jesus.

Join me as we study what Jesus did, does, and will do in the book of Hebrews.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Context
  • Read and keep on reading
  • Repetition
  • Listen to an audio version of the text
  • Read various translations
  • Make a list
  • Meditation
  • Follow the cross-references
  • Define words
  • Complete a word study
• Episode Guide Download
• Reading the first five books of the Bible using the reader's Bible - Immerse: Beginnings - Amazon Paid Link
• Learning how to look for Jesus in the Old Testament - Beginning at Moses: A Guide to Finding Christ in the Old Testament by Michael Barrett - Amazon Paid Link
• Jesus himself says that the law and the prophets point to him - Luke 24:25-27
• Studying the works of Jesus enables us to see him in other areas of Scripture
• Reading through Hebrews, looking for what Jesus does
• Seeing the Old Testament quoted in Hebrews as evidence of Christ
• "The Old Testament must be read in light of its fulfillment in Christ" - Exalting Jesus in Hebrews Commentary

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Have you ever experienced a heartwarming moment that evokes an irresistible response? Like how can you resist petting a puppy sitting at your feet gazing at you with big round eyes? MercyMe's moving anthem, "To Not Worship You," reminds us of an irresistible response as we contemplate and rehearse God's greatness.

Join me as we study Psalm 89 to shift our perspectives and transform the way we think and worship our almighty God.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Make a list
  • Meditate on God's Word
  • Repetition
  • Complete a word study
  • Read the text aloud
  • Start with God
• Episode Guide Download
• Reasons why I chose Psalm 89 to study this week
• Examples of areas I made note of that I could explore further:
  • Study "steadfast love" - like I did in Episode 441 and Episode 461
  • Explore the covenant language
  • Study the various names of God
  • Study the references to creation
  • Explore the messianic nature of the Psalm
  • Examining the cry of lament - as I did in Episode 381
  • Make note of repeated words
• Starting with God and listing His character, conduct, and concerns as shown in Psalm 89 (hint: I came up with over 33)
• The ACTS model for prayer (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication)
• Taking one characteristic a day to meditate on and adore God
• Completing a word study on the use of the word "faithfulness" - BibleHub.com
  • Psalm 89:1
  • Psalm 89:2
  • Psalm 89:5

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Putting first things first is a habit of highly effective people. But what are the "first things" for a follower of Christ? How does God rank the things you should be prioritizing above others?

Let's allow Scripture to mold how we interpret the world.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Meditate on Scripture
  • Define words
  • Read/study various translations
  • Compare and contrast
• Episode Guide Download
• Reading the entire Sermon on the Mount
• Recognizing that there's value in continuing to read and keep on reading and a time to stop and explore when interacting with Scripture
• Our focus area of Scripture in the "do not" section of the sermon - Matthew 6:19-34
• How our inspiration song restates what Jesus is teaching
• Three areas we can rank higher than God wants us to
  • Stuff
  • What we watch (look at)
  • Money
• Considering the original audience and still applying the principles Jesus is teaching to our current time
• How the world may teach that "first things first" is doing the things you have to do before you do the things you want to do, but as believers, we want God to change our priorities, not just the order of our actions
• Thinking about what "first" means, especially in light of Jesus, our preeminent One - Colossians 1:18
• How God wants a worldview change, but just obeying a commandment taught by men - Isaiah 29:13
• Further teaching on how "first" plays out in God's kingdom - Matthew 20:1-16, Matthew 20:20-28, Philippians 2:6-7

What you value will show up in how you live — where you spend your time, talents, and treasure.

• Lyrics to "First Things First" by Consumed By Fire -

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Do you praise God amid deep distress? When your circumstances don't change, when the pain doesn't let up, when you feel like you're underwater and can't catch your breath, can you muster a song of praise to God? Rend Collective challenges us to do that in their song "Hallelujah Anyway."

A man in Scripture found himself in deep distress and tragic loss and gave a hallelujah anyway. Let's spend some time exploring Job's story this week.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Listen to an audio version of the text
  • Read in context
  • Read for a set period of time
  • Read and keep on reading
  • Remember that the people in the Bible were real
• Episode Guide Download
• Don't get stuck in one way of interacting with God's Word - Job 33:14
• Stay curious as you interact with God's Word
• The story behind the song "Hallelujah Anyway" by Rend Collective - New Release Today Article
• Why this week's song inspired me to read Job
  • Job 1:21
  • Job 2:10
  • Job 13:15
• Some exercises to help you read this long story in context
• The power of biblical historical fiction to put flesh on the people described in Scripture
• "This book is all about calling into question the reader's views of God and the world" - The Bible Project Podcast
• While Job wants to know why he's being afflicted, God just gives him more of Himself - Job 38:1-7
• "Love Amid the Ashes: A Novel" by Mesu Andrews - Amazon Paid Link
• Job talking about what his life was like before his affliction - Job 29
• Words really do hurt - Job 19:2
• Job's friends did not characterize God properly - Job 42:8
• Keeping your antenna up for "light" and "darkness" language as we talked about in Episode 467

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The effects of sin are ravaging our world. Like the devastating locusts stripping the land bare in the book of Joel, we are stripped of meaningful worship owed to Father God. Let Andrew Ripp's song "For The Love Of God" remind you of God's love and his call to action displayed in this minor prophet book.

And let the text lead us to action in our own devastated land.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Share with a friend
  • Read the text out loud
  • Read in context
  • Consult section headings
  • Make observations
  • Make a list
  • Consult an overview
  • Pray
• The Episode Guide for continued self-study
• Overcoming the obstacle of feeling inadequate when it comes to discussing Scripture
  • Read the text together
  • Get your bearings of the context using section headings
  • Make some observations
  • Write down any questions
  • Pray and ask God to reveal what He wants you to see
  • Learn from trusted outside resources
• Taking advantage of the "now"
• The Bible Project Overview of Joel - YouTube Video
• The importance of using even devastating circumstances as launching pads to share with our children - Joel 1:3
• How tragedy impacted worship - Joel 1:9
  • The symbol of drink offerings - Holman New Testament Commentary - Amazon Paid Link
  • The symbol of grain offerings - GotQuestions.org Article
• How Joel paralleled the joy of the people drying up like the land drying up - Joel 1:12
• The action words God uses toward His people found in Joel 1
• Rescue coming through repentance
• The references to the "day of the Lord" in Joel
  • Joel 1:15

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In the beginning. These are the first words of two chapters of the Bible—one in the Old Testament and one in the New. These are also the opening lyrics to Anna Miriam Brown's song "Was The Word" from her musical His Story The Musical.

Join me on the podcast as we explore what "beginning" we're talking about, Who was there, and what happened. It's exactly what you think, yet so much more.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Slow down
  • Read the text out loud
  • Write out Scripture
  • Use your imagination
  • Meditate on Scripture
  • Compare and contrast
  • Journal your thoughts
• The Episode Guide for continued self-study
• Anna Miriam Brown's musical "His Story The Musical," now being performed live in Texas - His Story The Musical Website
• My Friday With Friends episode with Anna - Special Edition: Anna Miriam Brown on Friday With Friends
• A previous episode of More Than a Song featuring a song from the musical - Episode #303
• Starting in Genesis 1, taking it slow, and meditating on the account of creation - Genesis 1-Genesis 2:3
• Heading over to John 1, taking it slow, and meditating on the life and light of men - John 1:1-18
• Seeing that Jesus is the Word who was with God in the beginning - John 1:14
• A commentary on the true light - John 1:9-18
• Jesus commentary on darkness - John 3:16-21
• Comparing and contrasting Genesis 1 and John 1
• Learning more about The Word - Colossians 1:13-20
• The Creator of all things has keeping power

You will never arrive, my friend. There is always MORE of God than you previously understood or experienced.

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Welcome to Friday With Friends! I have the distinct privilege of meeting incredible followers of Christ who have amazing ministries, fascinating careers, and incredible hobbies and pet projects that flow out of their identity in Christ.

While my podcast is a solo show, I still want a venue to introduce you to these friends as examples of the multifaceted ways God works in and through His people.

In this episode, I have the privilege of hosting Anna Miriam Brown to talk about her musical "His Story: The Musical," the opening song "Was The Word," her favorite Bible Interaction Tool Exercises, and why she loves God's Word.

Now 23, Anna started writing His Story: The Musical at the age of 16 while on a mission to Africa. A dyslexic, unable to read or write before 9 years old, homeschooled Anna focused instead on the arts before writing her first songs at 15. As a social-media-savvy Gen Z, she sees a chance to reach her generation with the timeless story of light and hope. Anna is an author and illustrator of over a dozen educational books, some bestsellers, for children, especially kids with Dyslexia and teens with their passions and career goals. Anna currently lives in Dallas and travels often doing research for writing projects, which include several new musicals.

Connect With Anna

• Anna is on Instagram @anna_miriam_brown
• His Story: The Musical Website
• His Story Instagram
• His Story Facebook
• His Story YouTube

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I love singing God's Words back to Him. That's why Matt Maher's song "The Lord's Prayer (It's Yours)" is on my playlist! But the real joy for me was diving into Scripture inspired by this song. There's a lot we can learn from Jesus' teaching on how to pray; let's use this song to remind us of all we've learned.

Follow me to Matthew 6 as we explore the context and the words of the Lord's Prayer more fully.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Read in context
  • Use your imagination
  • Consult various translations
  • Consult an outside resource
  • Start with God
  • Consider the opposite
• The Episode Guide for this week's podcast
• The two places in Scripture the Lord's Prayer is recorded - Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4
• Approaching God's Word with an open heart to what it actually says, laying aside previous teaching or tradition
• Studying the Lord's Prayer in the context of the entire Sermon on the Mount and in the immediate context of Jesus' teaching on prayer
• Imagining yourself at the feet of Jesus as He is sharing these truths
• Two categories of people who prayed in a manner not consistent with how they should pray - Matthew 6:5-8
• Reading Matthew 6:9 in various translations to understand Christ's instruction to "pray like this," not necessarily "pray these words"
• A book on prayer that leads us through Scripture's teaching on how to pray - "Lord, Teach Me to Pray in 28 Days" by Kay Arthur - Amazon Paid Link
• The topics this model prayer leads us through:
  • Worship
  • Allegiance
  • Submission
  • Petition and provision
  • Confession and forgiveness
  • Watchfulness and deliverance
  • Back to worship

Put yourself on that mountain at the feet of Jesus. Recognize that you come to His teaching with the influence of teachers, or priests, or pastors, or “insert the name

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I believe in the promises of God. I've seen God move in miraculous ways in Scripture and in my own life. But I also know from experience that sometimes things don't turn out how I prayed for or in the timing I had hoped for. Benjamin William Hastings and Blessing Offor actually address this in their song, "That's The Thing About Praise."

Join me on the podcast as we look closely at a church family who didn't get the rescue they probably wanted but remained faithful. I can imagine the only way through it for them was a hallelujah.

In this episode, I discuss the following:

• Taking a B.I.T.E. out of Scripture – this week's Bible Interaction Tool Exercises include:
  • Make a list
  • Read the whole letter
  • Pray Scripture
• The Episode Guide for this week's podcast
• Considering the limitations of sermons that don't prepare you to endure affliction
• Recognizing that when we sing "the only way through it is a hallelujah," it means we are removing the focus from our situation to worship God
• Areas of Scripture you might study as inspired by the bridge of the song
  • Matthew 6 - seek first
  • Matthew 17 - faith moves mountains
  • 2 Chronicles 20 - the battle was one through praise
  • Joshua 6 - the walls fell down
• The Thessalonians received the gospel in suffering and held true to the gospel in suffering - 1 Thessalonians 1:1-7
• Making a list of the characteristics of the Thessalonian church
• The culture-changing effect of the gospel on the Thessalonian church - 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10
• An especially brutal kind of affliction -- the personal kind - 1 Thessalonians 2:13-16
• What Paul didn't say to encourage the Thessalonian church - 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5
• Praise tucked into Paul's prayer for the Thessalonian church - 1 Thessalonians 3:9-12
• Using Psalm 27 to pray Scripture during times of affliction

He deserves our hallelujah, and everything else fades away because we are giving our praise to Yahweh. We are extolling the greatness--the excellence--of our great God. When we look at the greatness of God, it puts everything else into perspective.    

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